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I start to pull it open but she tells me not to, and points.

“More junk mail.”

One single word stands out on the sticky note as soon as my eyes land on it, and I snatch it off as fast as I can. I do not need her to ask me what that word means anytime soon. She seemsoblivious as she walks over to the stairs and I blow out a heavy breath. That could’ve been an entire crisis.

I put the note in my pocket for later, and go meet my daughter where she stands with an arm raised to grab my hand.

“Absolutely not!” Vic laughs. “We are now officially done making babies.”

“But you could have two of each! How cute would that be!” Amanda exclaims.

Oh, Amanda.You pushy little thing.

“If that was the goal, I’d end up with twenty of them while trying to even the number out. I have nine aunts.Nine,” she says.

I remember just how excited Vic was to find out that Eli was a boy. The men in her family are heavily outnumbered, and she believed she was destined to contribute to those odds. Adding at least one more boy into the mix was a welcome surprise.

The baby in Amanda’s arms starts to wiggle, and she smiles down at him. LittleCaleb.

“He’s probably hungry. I’ll be right back,” she tells us in a high pitched voice.

I’m relieved when she walks away, not because I don’tlikeher, but because her pushiness knows no bounds. It’s something I think most people would need a break from.

“She tried to force one of those cookies down my throat,” I whisper to Vic.

She gives me apologetic eyes.

“They’re good cookies?”

“I’ll never find out now. I’m too traumatized to give them a chance.”

Autumn walks over to us with a little plate of snacks. I see a couple of the aforementioned cookies on it and wince.

She walks quickly, keeping her eyes down, and I feel so bad that she looks so uncomfortable. Her rigid posture only relaxeswhen she’s standing right next to the two of us and sees that we’re alone.

“You okay?” Vic asks.

“I’m fine,” she answers with a smile.

It’s not a genuine one. We know better.

“Some people have already started to leave. I understand if you’re ready to go.”

Autumn shakes her head adamantly.

“No, I’m really fine. I just… maybe shouldn’t walk away from you two again,” she says.

I link my arm with hers, careful not to knock the food from her hands.

“Perfect. I wouldn’t deal with anyone but you two either if I had it my way.”

Vic playfully smacks my arm.

“You be nice.”

“I’m so nice! I just can’t handle that woman.”

We all chuckle, but Vic scolds me some more. I’m not some mean girl that likes to stand around talking about others, it’s just that I don’t need a filter around my best friends.